In virtual desktop environments, such as those based on Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and Desktop-as-a-Service (DAAS), a user is provisioned with a virtual desktop and allowed to access their virtual desktop over a remote network connection, such as an Internet connection. The virtual desktops are typically hosted on servers that reside in a remotely located data center, and each host server may execute multiple virtual desktops. Users can utilize a client device with a virtual desktop client application installed thereon to remotely log into their individual virtual desktop and all of the application execution takes place on the remote host server which is linked to the client device over the network, using a remote display protocol such as VMware Blast, remote desktop protocol (RDP), PC-over-IP (PCoIP), virtual network computing (VNC), or the like. Using such a remote desktop protocol, the user can interact with applications of the virtual desktop, which are running on the remote host server, such that only the display (i.e., framebuffer pixel data), keyboard, and mouse information is communicated with the local client device. A common implementation of this approach is to host multiple desktop operating system instances on a server hardware platform running a hypervisor.
In some cases, users remotely accessing their virtual desktop need to utilize a multimedia device, such as a camera, microphone or audio speaker. For example, a user may wish to make a Voice Over IP (VOIP) telephone call, join an online meeting or attend a video conference using their virtual desktop. If the user's client device is equipped with a multimedia accessory, the user may utilize Real Time Audio Video (RTAV), which is a feature offered by some virtual desktops. RTAV redirects the multimedia stream captured by the camera and/or microphone of the client device to the remote virtual desktop and makes it accessible to the virtual desktop as though the multimedia accessory was installed on the remote server. RTAV therefore requires the virtual desktop client device to have some form of multimedia capability. However, many client devices capable of establishing a virtual desktop connection may not have built-in multimedia accessories. Moreover, even when the client device is equipped with multimedia accessories, the physical structure of the client device may in some cases make the multimedia capability cumbersome to use, such as in situations where the camera and microphone may need to be moved frequently or rapidly. In these situations, an alternative solution is desirable.